Ammonia slip detection

ABSTRACT

A method of detecting ammonia in the exhaust system includes detecting a predetermined engine operating condition. Upon detecting the predetermined operating condition, the method determines a first NO x  conversion efficiency of a catalyst at a first time T 1.  The method then injects a reactant into the exhaust upstream of the catalyst and determines a second NO x  conversion efficiency at a second time T 2.  The method then processes the first and second NO x  conversion efficiencies to determine whether an ammonia slip condition exists.

BACKGROUND

Selective catalytic reduction (SCR) is commonly used to remove NO_(x) (i.e., oxides of nitrogen) from the exhaust gas produced by internal engines, such as diesel or other lean burn (gasoline) engines. In such systems, NO_(x) is continuously removed from the exhaust gas by injection of a reductant into the exhaust gas prior to entering an SCR catalyst capable of achieving a high conversion of NO_(x).

Ammonia is often used as the reductant in SCR systems. The ammonia is introduced into the exhaust gas by controlled injection either of gaseous ammonia, aqueous ammonia or indirectly as urea dissolved in water. The SCR catalyst, which is positioned in the exhaust gas stream, causes a reaction between NO_(x) present in the exhaust gas and a NO_(x) reducing agent (e.g., ammonia) to convert the NO_(x) into nitrogen and water.

Proper operation of the SCR system involves precise control of the amount (i.e., dosing level) of ammonia (or other reductant) that is injected into the exhaust gas stream. If too little reductant is used, the catalyst will convert an insufficient amount of NO_(x). If too much reductant is used, a portion of the ammonia will pass unreacted through the catalyst in a condition known as “ammonia slip.” Thus, it is desirable to be able to detect the occurrence of “ammonia slip” conditions in order to, among other things, regulate dosing levels.

SUMMARY

Aspects and embodiments of the present technology described herein relate to one or more systems and methods for detecting ammonia slip across a catalyst in the exhaust system of an internal combustion engine. According to at least one aspect of the present technology, a method of detecting ammonia in the exhaust system of an internal combustion engine includes detecting a predetermined engine operating condition. Upon detecting the predetermined operating condition, the method determines a first NO_(x) conversion efficiency of the catalyst at a first time T1. The method then injects a reactant into the exhaust upstream of the catalyst and determines a second NO_(x) conversion efficiency at a second time T2. The method then processes the first and second NO_(x) conversion efficiencies to determine whether an ammonia slip condition exists. In particular, the method may include determining that an ammonia slip condition exists when the second NO_(x) conversion efficiency is greater than the first NO_(x) conversion efficiency. According to some embodiments, the reductant is ammonia. In some embodiments, the preselected engine operating condition may be a steady state condition. In some embodiments, the steady state condition may correspond to a condition where engine speed or load is constant.

In some embodiments, the method may determine the first NO_(x) conversion efficiency by detecting a first upstream NO_(x) level relative to the catalyst at the first time and detecting a first downstream NO_(x) level relative to the catalyst at the first time. Likewise, the method may determine the second NO_(x) conversion efficiency by detecting a second upstream NO_(x) level relative to the catalyst at the second time and detecting a second downstream NO_(x) level relative to the catalyst at the second time. In at least some embodiments, the method may determine NO_(x) conversion efficiency in accordance with the following formula:

${Eff} = {\frac{{NO}_{x\text{-}{upstream}} - {NO}_{x\text{-}{downstream}}}{{NO}_{x\text{-}{upstream}}} \cdot 100}$

where Eff is NO_(x) conversion efficiency, NO_(x-upstream) is the upstream NO_(x) level and NO_(x-downstream) is the downstream NO_(x) level.

Certain aspects of the present technology relate to a system for detecting ammonia in an exhaust system of an internal combustion engine. The exhaust system including an SCR catalyst and an injector upstream of the catalyst for injecting a reductant into the exhaust system. An upstream NO_(x) sensor is positioned to detect the level of NO_(x) in the exhaust stream at a location upstream of the catalyst and produce a responsive upstream NO_(x) signal. A downstream NO_(x) sensor is positioned to detect the level of NO_(x) in the exhaust stream at a location downstream of the catalyst and produce a responsive downstream NO_(x) signal. A controller is configured to receive the upstream and downstream NO_(x) signals; detect a preselected engine operating condition; determine a first NO_(x) conversion efficiency based on the upstream and downstream NO_(x) at a first time T1; signal the injector to inject reductant into the exhaust system; determine a second NO_(x) conversion efficiency based on the upstream and downstream NO_(x) levels at a second time T2 following injection of the reductant; and process the first and second NO_(x) conversion efficiencies to determine whether an ammonia slip condition exists. In at least some embodiments, the reductant may be ammonia. In some embodiments, the preselected engine operating condition comprises a steady state operating condition. In some embodiments, the controller may determine NO_(x) conversion efficiency in accordance with the following formula:

${Eff} = {\frac{{NO}_{x\text{-}{upstream}} - {NO}_{x\text{-}{downstream}}}{{NO}_{x\text{-}{upstream}}} \cdot 100}$

where Eff is the NO_(x) conversion efficiency, NO_(x-upstream) is the upstream NO_(x) level and NO_(x-downstream) is the downstream NO_(x) level. The system may be configured to identify an ammonia slip condition in response to the second NO_(x) conversion efficiency being greater than the first NO_(x) conversion efficiency.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of an internal combustion engine with an exhaust gas SCR system.

FIG. 2 is a graph illustrating an exemplary relationship between NO_(x) conversion and NO_(x) storage by a catalyst.

FIG. 3 is a graph illustrating an exemplary relationship between NO_(x) conversion and NO_(x) storage by a catalyst.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart of an exemplary method for detecting ammonia slip in an engine exhaust system according to certain embodiments of the present technology.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Various examples of embodiments of the present technology will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which such examples of embodiments are shown. Like reference numbers refer to like elements throughout. Other embodiments of the presently described technology may, however, be in many different forms and are not limited solely to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are examples representative of the present technology. Rights based on this disclosure have the full scope indicated by the claims.

FIG. 1 shows an exemplary schematic depiction of an internal combustion engine 10 and an SCR system 12 for reducing NO_(x) from the engine's exhaust. The engine 10 can be used, for example, to power a vehicle such as an over-the-road vehicle (not shown). The engine 10 can be a compression ignition engine, such as a diesel engine, for example. Generally speaking, the SCR system 12 includes a catalyst 20, a reductant supply 22, a reductant injector 24, an electronic control unit (“ECU”) 26, an upstream NO_(x) detector 30 and a downstream NO_(x) detector 32.

The ECU 26 controls delivery of a reductant, such as ammonia, from the reductant supply 22 and into an exhaust system 28 through the reductant injector 24. The reductant supply 22 can include canisters (not shown) for storing ammonia in solid form. In most systems, a plurality of canisters will be used to provide greater travel distance between recharging. A heating jacket (not shown) is typically used around the canister to bring the solid ammonia to a sublimation temperature. Once converted to a gas, the ammonia is directed to the reductant injector 24. The reductant injector 24 is positioned in the exhaust system 28 upstream from the catalyst 20. As the ammonia is injected into the exhaust system 28, it mixes with the exhaust gas and this mixture flows through the catalyst 20. The catalyst 20 causes a reaction between NO_(x) present in the exhaust gas and a NO_(x) reducing agent (e.g., ammonia) to reduce/convert the NO_(x) into nitrogen and water, which then passes out of the tailpipe 34 and into the environment. While the SCR system 12 has been described in the context of solid ammonia, it will be appreciated that the SCR system 12 could alternatively use a reductant such as pure anhydrous ammonia, aqueous ammonia or urea, for example.

The upstream NO_(x) sensor 30 is positioned to detect the level of NO_(x) in the exhaust stream at a location upstream of the catalyst 20 and produce a responsive upstream NO_(x) signal. As shown in FIG. 1, the upstream NO_(x) sensor 30 may be positioned in the exhaust system 28 between the engine and the injector 24. The downstream NO_(x) sensor 32 may be positioned to detect the level of NO_(x) in the exhaust stream at a location downstream of the catalyst 20 and produce a responsive downstream NO_(x) signal. The ECU 26 is connected to receive the upstream and downstream NO_(x) signals from the sensors 30 and 32. The ECU 26 may be configured to control reductant dosing from the injector 24 in response to the upstream and/or downstream NO_(x) signals (and other sensed parameters). The present technology is not limited to any particular dosing strategy. Accordingly, the particulars of the dosing strategy are not detailed herein.

In addition to controlling the dosing or metering of ammonia, the ECU 26 can also store information such as the amount of ammonia being delivered, the canister providing the ammonia, the starting volume of deliverable ammonia in the canister, and other such data which may be relevant to determining the amount of deliverable ammonia in each canister. The information may be monitored on a periodic or continuous basis. When the ECU 26 determines that the amount of deliverable ammonia is below a predetermined level, a status indicator (not shown) electronically connected to the controller 26 can be activated.

FIGS. 2 and 3 are graphs illustrating exemplary relationships between NO_(x) conversion and NO_(x) storage by a catalyst, where NO_(x) storage represents the percentage of storage capacity of the catalyst that is being used. The NO_(x) conversion efficiency of a catalyst is generally a function of stored NO₃, temperature and space velocity. As can be seen in FIGS. 2 and 3, NO_(x) conversion generally increases as NO_(x) storage increases. However, when the catalyst reaches a certain capacity, e.g., 90% in the illustrated embodiment, its efficiency stops increasing. As a result, the catalyst will stop converting all of the ammonia and some of the ammonia will pass (“slip”) through the catalyst and into the environment. NO_(x) sensors are typically cross-sensitive to ammonia. More specifically, NO_(x) sensors typically cannot discriminate between these two compounds. Accordingly, ammonia that slips through the catalyst will be sensed as NO_(x) by a downstream NO_(x). As a result, the ammonia slippage may cause more ammonia to be injected, which will, in turn, compound the slippage problem. Thus, it is desirable to be able to detect the occurrence of “ammonia slip” in order to regulate dosing levels.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart of an exemplary method 400 for detecting ammonia slip in an SCR system according to certain aspects of the present technology. The method 400 begins in step 405. Control is then passed to the step 410 where the method checks to see if the engine is in a preselected engine operating condition. In at least some embodiments, the preselected engine operating condition may be a “steady state” operating condition where the NO_(x) produced by the engine is substantially constant. For example, a steady state operating condition may correspond to a condition where a vehicle is motoring, e.g., engine speed or load is substantially constant. The method continues to loop through step 410 until the preselected operating condition is detected.

Once the condition is detected, control is passed to step 415, where the method 400 determines a first NO_(x) efficiency at a first time T1. In particular, the method determines the upstream NO_(x) level, e.g., by reading the upstream NO_(x) signal from the upstream NO_(x) sensor 30 and a downstream NO_(x) level, e.g., by reading the downstream NO_(x) signal from the downstream NO_(x) sensor 32. The method 400 then uses the upstream and downstream NO_(x) values to determine the NO_(x) efficiency in accordance with the following formula:

${Eff} = {\frac{{NO}_{x\text{-}{upstream}} - {NO}_{x\text{-}{downstream}}}{{NO}_{x\text{-}{upstream}}} \cdot 100}$

where Eff is NO_(x) conversion efficiency, NO_(x-upstream) is the upstream NO_(x) level and NO_(x-downstream) is the downstream NO_(x) level.

Control is then passed to step 420, where the method 400 injects a test dose of reductant, e.g., ammonia, into the exhaust system upstream of the catalyst 20. For example, the method 400 may involve having the ECU 26 actuate the injector 24 to inject a predetermined amount of reductant into the exhaust system 28.

Control is then passed to the step 425, where the method determines a second NO_(x) conversion efficiency at a second time T2. As above, the method 400 may determine NO_(x) conversion efficiency by reading the signals from the upstream and downstream NO_(x) sensors 30, 32 at the second time and calculating NO_(x) conversion efficiency based on these values.

Control is then passed to step 430, where the method 400 processes the first and second NO_(x) conversion efficiency values to determine if an ammonia slip condition exists. Specifically, the method compares the first and second NO_(x) conversion efficiency values to see if the NO_(x) efficiency increases following injection of the test dose in step 420. If the NO_(x) conversion efficiency value increased, control is passed to step 435, where the method indicates that an ammonia slip condition may exist. Conversely, if the NO_(x) conversion efficiency value did not increase, control is passed to step 440, where the method indicates that an ammonia slip condition does not exist. Specifically, since the engine is operating in a steady state condition where NO_(x) production is substantially constant, the NO_(x) reading from the upstream NO_(x) sensor 30 will remain substantially constant between the first and second times T1, T2. If the ammonia dose, which is injected downstream of the sensor 32, is not fully converted by the catalyst 20, it will be sensed by the downstream NO_(x) sensor 32. Accordingly, when ammonia slip occurs, the second NO_(x) conversion efficiency value will be higher than the first NO_(x) conversion efficiency.

In sum, the method 400 initially checks to see if the engine 10 is operating in a steady state condition where the NO_(x) produced by the engine is substantially constant. Upon detecting a steady state condition, the method 400 determines a first NO_(x) conversion efficiency of the catalyst at a first time T1. The method 400 then injects a dose of reactant into the exhaust upstream of the catalyst 20 and determines a second NO_(x) conversion efficiency at a second time T2. The method 400 then determines if the NO_(x) conversion efficiency has increased between the first and second times. An increasing NO_(x) conversion efficiency indicates the presence of an ammonia slip condition.

At least some embodiments of the present technology relate to a system 12 for detecting an ammonia slip across an SCR catalyst in the exhaust system of an internal combustion engine. Referring again to FIG. 1, the system 12 may generally include the injector 24, the reductant supply 22, the upstream NO_(x) sensor 30, the downstream NO_(x) sensor 32 and a controller such as the ECU 26. The ECU 26 may be configured to receive the upstream and downstream NO_(x) signals and to control operation of the injector 24. The ECU 26 may be configured to detect a preselected operating condition in the engine, such as a steady state operating condition. Upon detecting the steady state operating condition, the ECU 26 determines a first NO_(x) conversion efficiency at a first time T1. The ECU 26 then signals the injector 24 to inject a dose of reductant into the exhaust system 28. The ECU 26 then determines a second NO_(x) conversion efficiency based on the upstream and downstream NO_(x) levels at a second time following injection of the reductant. The ECU 26 then processes the first and second NO_(x) conversion efficiencies to determine whether an ammonia slip condition exists. In particular, the ECU 26 may be configured to signal that an ammonia slip condition is present when NO_(x) conversion efficiency increases between the first and second times.

While this disclosure has been described as having exemplary embodiments, this application is intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations using the general principles set forth herein. It is envisioned that those skilled in the art may devise various modifications and equivalents without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure as recited in the following claims. Further, this application is intended to cover such departures from the present disclosure as come within the known or customary practice within the art to which it pertains. 

1. A method of detecting ammonia slip across a catalyst in an exhaust system of an internal combustion engine comprising; detecting a preselected operating condition of the engine; determining a first NO_(x) conversion efficiency of the catalyst at a first time; injecting a reductant into the exhaust upstream of the catalyst; thereafter detecting a second NO_(x) conversion efficiency of the catalyst at a second time; and processing the first and second NO_(x) conversion efficiencies to determine whether an ammonia slip condition exists.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the reductant comprises ammonia.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the preselected engine operating condition comprises a steady state condition.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of determining a first NO_(x) conversion efficiency of the catalyst at a first time further comprises: detecting a first upstream NO_(x) level relative to the catalyst at the first time; and detecting a first downstream NO_(x) level relative to the catalyst at the first time.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of determining a second NO_(x) conversion efficiency of the catalyst at a second time further comprises: detecting a second upstream NO_(x) level relative to the catalyst at the second time; and detecting a second downstream NO_(x) level relative to the catalyst at the second time.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein NO_(x) conversion efficiency is determined in accordance with the following formula: ${Eff} = {\frac{{NO}_{x\text{-}{upstream}} - {NO}_{x\text{-}{downstream}}}{{NO}_{x\text{-}{upstream}}} \cdot 100}$ where Eff is NO_(x) conversion efficiency, NO_(x-upstream) is the upstream NO_(x) level and NO_(x-downstream) is the downstream NO_(x) level.
 7. The method of claim 1, further comprising signaling an ammonia slip condition in response to the NO_(x) conversion efficiency increasing between the first and second times.
 8. A method of detecting ammonia slip across a catalyst in an exhaust system of an internal combustion engine comprising: detecting a preselected operating condition of the engine; thereafter detecting a first upstream NO_(x) level relative to the catalyst at a first time; detecting a first downstream NO_(x) level relative to the catalyst at a first time; injecting a reductant into the exhaust upstream of the catalyst; thereafter detecting a second upstream NO_(x) level relative to the catalyst at a second time; detecting a second downstream NO_(x) level relative to the catalyst at a second time; and determining a first NO_(x) conversion efficiency based on the first upstream and first downstream NO_(x) levels; determining second NO_(x) conversion efficiency based on the second upstream and second downstream NO_(x) levels; and processing the first and second NO_(x) conversion efficiencies to determine whether an ammonia slip condition exists.
 9. The method of claim 8, wherein NO_(x) conversion efficiency is determined in accordance with the following formula: ${Eff} = {\frac{{NO}_{x\text{-}{upstream}} - {NO}_{x\text{-}{downstream}}}{{NO}_{x\text{-}{upstream}}} \cdot 100}$ where Eff is NO_(x) conversion efficiency, NO_(x-upstream) is the upstream NO_(x) level and NO_(x-downstream) is the downstream NO_(x) level.
 10. The method of claim 9, wherein the reductant comprises ammonia.
 11. The method of claim 10, wherein the preselected engine operating condition comprises a steady state condition.
 12. A system for detecting ammonia in an exhaust system of an internal combustion engine, the exhaust system including a catalyst and an injector upstream of the catalyst for injecting a reductant into the exhaust system, the system comprising: an upstream NO_(x) sensor positioned to detect the level of NO_(x) in the exhaust stream at a location upstream of the catalyst and produce a responsive upstream NO_(x) signal; a downstream NO_(x) sensor positioned to detect the level of NO_(x) in the exhaust stream at a location downstream of the catalyst and produce a responsive downstream NO_(x) signal; a controller configured to receive the upstream and downstream NO_(x) signals; detect a preselected engine operating condition; determine a first NO_(x) conversion efficiency based on the upstream and downstream NO_(x) levels at a first time; signal the injector to inject reductant into the exhaust system; determine a second NO_(x) conversion efficiency based on the upstream and downstream NO_(x) levels at a second time following injection of the reluctant; and process the first and second NO_(x) conversion efficiencies to determine whether an ammonia slip condition exists.
 13. The system of claim 12, wherein the preselected engine operating condition comprises a steady state operating condition.
 14. The method of claim 12, wherein NO_(x) conversion efficiency is determined in accordance with the following formula: ${Eff} = {\frac{{NO}_{x\text{-}{upstream}} - {NO}_{x\text{-}{downstream}}}{{NO}_{x\text{-}{upstream}}} \cdot 100}$ where Eff is NO_(x) conversion efficiency, NO_(x-upstream) is the upstream NO_(x) level and NO_(x-downstream) is the downstream NO_(x) level.
 15. The method of claim 12, wherein the reductant comprises ammonia. 